Eternal Security

Today in my intro to the New Testament class, we discussed eternal security. To begin, I come from a Baptist background, and the school I attend is affiliated with the Church of God denomination. Apparently, they have a totally different view on salvation than that of the Baptist. My professor ask the question, 'Is it possible for one to walk away from or lose their salvation?" Of course, over half the class said that it was, but I had a different opinion. I stated that if a person totally repents and asks Jesus to save us, putting it as elementary as possible, then the blood of Jesus covers our sin, and we are saved by grace through faith. Then I went on to say that if a person chooses to stray in their life into a life of sin, which we are all bound to do at one point in our life, then we step out of fellowship with God, but do not lose our salvation. The reason is because Scripture is very clear that salvation is eternal.

In response my professor read from 1 John 1:6 which says, " If we say that we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth." (ESV). But my thoughts were, that of the definition of fellowship is communion in the original Greek, not salvation. If a person chooses to walk away at some point, if they are truly saved to begin with, they will experience great conviction and will be miserable. I am speaking from experience here. If you lost your salvation, which means that the Spirit no longer resides in your heart, this would not be your experience. I also find it hard to believe that someone would willingly use only one passage of Scripture to justify their stance, and totally ignore the rest.

My professor then went on to say that this was not a huge matter, and that we shouldn't really be worried about it, because we are all going to be in heaven one day anyways. I just find it difficult to accept that this is not major. The fact that their are people out there who believe that Jesus is God enough to save us in the first place, then turn around and pretty much say that he is not God enough to keep us just blows me away. I think that it is a very big deal and shouldn't be taken lightly.

My stance is this, that we are saved by grace through faith and repentance. Jesus died for the sin of all, and all of those who become saved have their sins, past and future, forgiven eternally. Grace does not give us license to sin, but does cover us if we sin and repent. I believe that the journey of a Christ follower is a hard one, and we must try to live in total fellowship with God. But we do not attain salvation on our own. The Bible tells us that it is not by our merit or works that we are saved, but by what Jesus did on the Cross that brings our salvation. All in all, I will have to agree to disagree, but I do welcome your comments.

Great Concert Tonight!

Allyssa and I made the trip tonight to Knoxville, to see Toby Mac, Barlow Girl, and Thousand Foot Crutch. I love Barlow Girl. Their music is actually really good, their musicianship is incredible, and their testimonies are pure and in my opinion holy. When they share their commitment to God during their concerts, which is every time, it brings me to tears. They seem to be so genuine and really seem to love the Lord.

As far as the other two, I wasn't that into Thousand Foot Crutch. I mean they rocked the house, but their wasn't that sense of worship, which is what I intend to feel at any Christian concert, and most of the times I walk away not feeling that at all. Toby Mac just blows me away. Here you have a 44 year old man, who can still do back flips and dance like no other white boy I know. The man is talented in what he does, and I give him props.

All in all it was really just a time for me and my wife to get out and cut loose. I don't listen to any of these groups on a daily basis, I'm more into other styles, but it was good just to go and have fun with Allyssa. I love to see her have a good time and smile, and that she did. She no longer has a voice as a result. I would recommend checking out Barlow Girl, regardless if you care for the whole Christian music world, because they really bring good and real lyrics to the table, with some really awesome musicianship, especially the drummer. For a girl, she can really hold her on up there...just kidding, she really is very talented. Check them out.

Conversations with God

"There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God. Those only can comprehend it who practice and experience it; yet I do not advise you to do it from that motive. It is not pleasure which we ought to seek in this exercise; but to let us do it from a principle of love, and because God would have us."
-Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presences of God

I have read this quote many of times, but I think for the first time I am beginning to understand it. What is my motivation for prayer? Should it be a time where I am asking God for all the things I want and think I need, or should it be a time where I just communicate my appreciation and love for him? I think that most of the time we get it wrong. There are so many people who try and put prayer inside a box, like they do with all things spiritual. In my opinion that takes away the true essence of the act of prayer. I have always wondered why we are taught at an early age to pray before we eat, before we go to bed, and pray before any big event comes up. I am struggling with this whole concept right now, mainly because my prayer life sucks. After reading this quote, I am humbled and in awe of what prayer really is. It is a gift, not a right. If you have read any of his work, you will notice that Brother Lawrence didn't just pray at certain times, when he was supposed to, instead he was in a continual conversation with God. It is my desire to have this type of relationship with God, where I am talking with him throughout my day, not just when I think I need him. God is not something that we put on a shelf and only pick up when we are in need. If truth be told, we are, at least I am, in constant need of God. I wonder just how our perspective on our faith journey would change if we would posture ourselves in prayer at all times. Again, thinking outside the box here, I am not speaking about being on your knees, with your head bowed, and your eyes closed posture, I am simply suggesting that we make it our goal to be in continual communication with our Lord.

Jesus?

Today, I was listening to a local Christian radio station, and
they were asking listeners to call in and give them things
that they are thankful for. The whole idea was, to get these
things that people are thankful for to fill the entire
alphabet. I listened to it for about a half an hour, and there
were numerous callers, saying they were thankful for anything from their spouses to their churches. I began to get a little bothered, because no one was thankful for the one person that means the most to all that follow him. The person I am referring to is Jesus. I got so frustrated that I actually called in, which I usually leave up to my wife, and said that I am thankful for Jesus. Remember, this is a 'Christian' radio station, and no one is thankful for Jesus.

So who is this man-God that we claim to follow. Before I give a Biblical illustration of Jesus, I would like to comment on something. Have you noticed that more and more people are fleeing from the Christian faith? I begin to wonder why this is happening. I believe the fundamental reason is the absence of Jesus in our 'Christian' culture. For the first time in history, one can visit a church service, any church service across the country, and never hear the name of Jesus even mentioned. How can this be? Have we 'emerged' so far in our faith, that we no longer need Jesus? We wonder why so many churches are lacking strong, masculine, and Godly men. The reason for this, in my opinion, is that men need a hero, a strong leader to follow. As in the words of Mark Driscoll, "men can't follow someone they can beat up, they need someone who they can follow".

The following description of Jesus, gives us hope. It gives us someone who is strong and mighty that we can actually look up to and follow. "Then I saw Heaven open wide—and oh! a white horse and its Rider. The Rider, named Faithful and True, judges and makes war in pure righteousness. His eyes are a blaze of fire, on his head many crowns. He has a Name inscribed that's known only to himself. He is dressed in a robe soaked with blood, and he is addressed as "Word of God." The armies of Heaven, mounted on white horses and dressed in dazzling white linen, follow him. A sharp sword comes out of his mouth so he can subdue the nations, then rule them with a rod of iron. He treads the wine-press of the raging wrath of God, the Sovereign-Strong. On his robe and thigh is written, King of kings, Lord of lords."
(Revelation 19:11-16)

Jesus. If we view Jesus in this light, he is no longer in the words of Derek Webb, "some white middle class Republican. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. We have no other option than to desire to follow this man-God. If you notice, he is not wearing a label with a certain denomination or creed, but a crown, a robe soaked in blood, and he is addressed by the title "Word of God". This is the Jesus I want to follow, and represent with my life. How about you?

Awesome Night!

As I said in my last post, God provided me with a great opportunity tonight. Allyssa and I got invited to the local high school, McMinn Co High School, to watch their football game, and then we were invited to go hang out with the students after the game.
The game was awesome. It went into double overtime, with McMinn getting the win, but it was what happened afterward that made the night incredible. I tell you it was the first time that I have ever gotten the chance to talk (preach) at 10:30 at night, and to be honest I was a little anxious about it. I am glad that God is always faithful, because although I was tired, he gave me the strength and the message that I needed to get through the night.
Knowing that a lot of the kids that were there, probably had never set foot into a church, I had to figure out a way to convey the gospel to them that they would be able to understand. I spoke to them about being on Jesus' team. According to the response, by means of raised hands, there were at least five out of fifty that said that they needed to commit their lives to Christ for the first time and about 15 that needed to recommit their lives to Christ. It was amazing.
I know that the seed has been planted, and now these kids are without excuse. Now it is up to God to work in the lives of these kids. I am just honored that God allowed me to be the voice that planted those seeds. Overall, I couldn't have asked for a better night. It was worth the wait, and to God be the glory. He is just awesome, and He continues to amaze me at how he can use someone like me to do His work.

Running In Place

I have been struggling lately seeing through the fog of life. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in all that is happening around us, that we miss what is actually taking place. There are times, more than I wish, that I get caught up in the negative things taking place around me, and instead of actually getting involved in making changes, I sit idly by complaining.
As I was driving back from school today, I began to look at people as they were driving, and began to wonder just how many people were running in place. What I mean is, how many people are actually taking advantage of the life they have been given? I see these peoples faces, and they look a lot like those faces of people running on a treadmill. You know the look, worn out, drained, frustrated because they seem to feel like they are running so hard but not getting anywhere. I have been feeling like this lately. I feel like I am missing out on so much, not due to the lack of opportunity, but because I can't seem to see pass the fog that is in front of me.
I see this a lot in the church as well. You see so many people involved in so many activities and ministries, but they don't seem like they are advancing. It's like they have lost focus on the real reasons they chose to do these things in the first place. They have gotten stuck on the treadmill, and aren't really making the impact that they could.
Tonight I have been given an awesome opportunity. I get to speak to a group of local high school kids, most of whom are involved in FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). It is my prayer that God would use me, not to give them another talk about the same old stuff they hear all the time, but that He would allow me to bring a new refreshing outlook on what it really means to be a Christian. It is my goal to show these kids that life shouldn't be lived on the treadmill, but out in the race of life.
I pray that we would all take a step back and look at our lives, to see if we are running in place, or if we are actually making an impact on those around us. If you look at the lives of Jesus and Paul, neither one could stay in one place for any length of time. They were always on the move, seeking opportunities where they could make a difference. And they did. I challenge myself, along with whomever stumbles across this post, to seek God with all that you have, and ask Him to help you get off the treadmill and get back in the race.

Evangelicals and Politics

I know, I probably should try to stay away from the whole politics theme, but it is difficult when you hear about it constantly. I am amazed at how much time and energy many evangelicals spend on backing or bashing political candidates. As I was browsing the news headlines online today, I came across several articles talking about who the evangelical right is saying that Christians shouldn't vote for. The first to get a bashing was Fred Thompson. Apparently, well according to Dobson, Thompson can't figure out what denomination he is, but claims to be an 'unbaptized' Baptist. The next person they are not promoting on the Republican side of the aisle is Rudy G. The reasons of course are his stands on, you guess it, homosexual marriage and abortion.

I had to sit back and just ask, why? Why should a predominate figure like Dobson, who has done 'some' good, be involved in this type of bashing. I am really very surprised that the Religious Right aren't promoting Gov. Huckibee, because he is a baptist minister. But then again, he is pushing issues such as global warming, poverty, and those 'less' important issues.

What really bothers me the most about all this, is that these are the Christians that the entire American public gets to see. There is no wonder why no one likes Christians these days. It's mainly because no one knows any real ones. We all, in the eyes of the public, fall in the same category as these public Christian figures. We really need to do something about it. There is no wonder prayer is not in schools and abortion is legalized. I wouldn't blame the world for being worldly, I would go as far to say that is the fault of the same people who is supposedly trying to stop it.

I guess I should stop, but this really bothers me at my core. I think we need to stop worrying about getting a Christian that fits our criteria in the Oval Office, and begin to worry and think about how we can change these things ourselves. Because apparently we can't rely on those Christians in the public eye to do it for us. We really need to just adopt the ideology of Jesus, and follow his example, "Love God and Love People", period.